LG SJ9

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Soundbar buyers’ guide

Welcome to Genie Shopping’s page dedicated to all things soundbars – from two-channel audio devices through to 9.1 home theatre speakers. You’ll find all the top soundbars here from all the leading manufacturers – as well as some super cheap bargains too.

Soundbars aren’t the kind of thing you’ll be buying on a regular basis (at least we presume you won’t!) so we realise most people aren’t too familiar with them – let alone being experts.

That’s where Genie Shopping comes in: we’ll walk you through the basics and then show you the best deals, before handing you over to your favourite retailers to seal the deal.

Why buy a soundbar?

Soundbars have grown in popularity over the past decade for a number of reasons. Chiefly, your average soundbar will give you a nice step up in audio quality from your television’s skinny built-in speakers without paying a fortune for a multi-speaker system.

You’ll also find people using a soundbar for their stereo system – most often in the front room. This is often due to a combination of style and space: these gadgets are easily wall mountable and they tend to look pretty cool – or you can pop one on a shelf and you’ll barely know it’s there.

And of cause there’s the step up in audio quality. The design of a soundbar really helps fill your room with music, with the best ones bouncing sound off the walls to trick you into thinking you have surround sound.

And best of all, they’re pretty cost effective. It’s easy to find a good quality soundbar in the £100-200 price range – a good price for a step-up in audio quality for both your movie and music experiences. And finally, they’re a doddle to set up and use.

Soundbar channels: what are they and how many do you need?

One of your key decisions when buying a soundbar is how many channels it should have. Some simply have two channels – standard stereo – while others are listed as 9.1 – the ultimate in surround sound experiences in terms of a single speaker.

If you’re buying a soundbar purely for audio, you’re not going to need a multichannel device – you should look for a two-channel bar where the extra development funds have been spent on the quality of speaker and cabinet.

If you’re wanting a complete home cinema experience, the more channels you can find the better. Each channel equates to a separate speaker set in the soundbar itself, each with its own driver which will pitch certain sounds to create a three-dimensional audio effect.

Getting connected: Soundbar HDMI ports

Before moving ahead with your purchase, you need to be very sure that your new soundbar was all the connections you need to hook it up to your home entertainment gear.

You should find most soundbars come with optical digital ports, but more and more devices now include HDMI connections (as well as TOSlink and RCA). These will help the audio quality from Blu-rays and generally offer you more flexibility.

The real key here is what, and how many, devices you want to hook up. Many UK front rooms are now packed with a Blu-ray player, a games console (or two!) and a set-top box – so you may feel you need a device with three or four HDMI connections. However, if you run everything through your television (check it for its own HDMI ports first!), your soundbar won’t need them.

What makes a great soundbar?

As with all technologies soundbars have a plethora of bells and whistles you can look out for, or choose to ignore. Each is likely to add to the price tag, so be aware of what they do and then pick your poison.

Size is everything: Without wishing to state the obvious, check the dimensions to make sure the soundbar will fit in the space you need it to! Is it going on a shelf, in front of a TV, on a wall? Wherever it’s going, make sure it fits!

Woof! A big problem with TV sound is bass – as TVs have gotten thinner so have the speakers, meaning a drop in bass quality. Many soundbars are also very thin, so won’t solve your bass problems. This means you’ll also need a subwoofer – or maybe that’s all you needed in the first place? Or look for a pedestal-style soundbar, which has much more depth.

Surround sound: If a soundbar claims to be surround sound, as we noted earlier under ‘channels’, it is likely to be simulated not actual surround sound. This can still sound awesome – especially on high-end models – but if surround sound is really what you’re after your money may be best spent on a home entertainment speaker system.

Bluetooth: If you want to stream audio through a soundbar – say from your phone or tablet – there’s no easier way to do it than through Bluetooth. Just remember it’s not the most secure of Wi-Fi channels, so may want to switch it off on your phone when you head out. However, it’s a great bonus on your soundbar.

Remote control: If you’re running your device through your TV or stereo system you can see this as just another device to lose down the back of the sofa. They can also cause clashing issues with your TV, which is simply a pain to deal with.

What do I do next?

Once you’ve fallen in love with a suitable soundbar, it’s time to bid a fond farewell to Genie Shopping and click through to the retailer of your choice. Whether it’s Asda or Argos, Sainsbury’s or Tesco, you’ll find all the best high street retailers represented here.

All you need to do is head off to them and complete your purchase – you’ll be buying direct from them, not from us. Genie Shopping simply helps you compare and find the best deals on the market – no matter what you’re in the market for. So next time you need anything, come back and see us!